Current:Home > MarketsClashes resume in largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, killing 3 and wounding 10-LoTradeCoin
Clashes resume in largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, killing 3 and wounding 10
View Date:2024-12-23 23:29:08
BEIRUT (AP) — Clashes resumed early Saturday at the largest refugee camp in Lebanon between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah group and militant Islamist groups, killing three people and wounding 10 others.
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, discussed with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the volatile situation in an attempt to end the fighting.
Mikati called for an end to the fighting saying that what is happening in Ein el-Hilweh “does not serve the Palestinian cause and is harmful to the Lebanese state.”
Sounds of gunfire and explosions could be heard in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp and nearby areas on the edge of the southern port city of Sidon.
The fighting resumed Friday, after a month of creative calm, forcing hundreds of people to flee for safety in nearby areas.
Fatah had accused the militant Islamist groups of gunning down one of their top military officials on July 30.
At least 20 people were wounded Friday.
The Lebanese army said in a statement that it is taking measures, including contacting several sides, to work on ending the clashes. It also called on people to avoid getting close to areas of fighting.
A Lebanese security official said the three people killed on Saturday included two Palestinians inside the camp and a Lebanese man who was hit with a stray bullet while driving outside Ein el-Hilweh. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said 10 others were wounded.
Senior Fatah official, Maj. Gen. Munir Makdah, refused to discuss the situation inside the camp when contacted by The Associated Press but said Fatah officials in Lebanon and in the Palestinian territories are for a cease-fire and blamed the militant groups for not respecting it.
“There is ongoing chaos. There is no battle but chaos and shooting from a long distance,” Makdah said from inside the camp.
Late on Saturday, the municipality of Sidon, with the help of the Lebanese Red Cross and the civil defense, set up more than a dozen tents at the northern entrance of the city to house scores of people displaced by the fighting.
“This is a temporary shelter and not a permanent one,” said Mustafa Hijazi, an official at the municipality of Sidon, adding that 16 tents were set up Saturday to house between 100 and 150 people. Hijazi said the plan is to reach 250.
Hijazi added that mobile toilets were also put in place near the tents and the Lebanese Red Cross and the civil society will work on bringing water.
Ein el-Hilweh is notorious for its lawlessness and violence is not uncommon in the camp. The United Nations says about 55,000 people live in the camp, which was established in 1948 to house Palestinians who were displaced when Israel was established.
Earlier this summer, there were several days of street battles in the Ein el-Hilweh camp between Fatah and members of the extremist Jund al-Sham group that left 13 people dead and dozens wounded.
An uneasy truce had been in place since Aug. 3, but clashes were widely expected to resume as the Islamist groups have not handed those accused of killing the Fatah general to the Lebanese judiciary, as demanded by a committee of Palestinian factions last month.
Lebanon is home to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants. Many live in the 12 refugee camps that are scattered around the small Mediterranean country.
veryGood! (957)
Related
- Jelly Roll goes to jail (for the best reason) ahead of Indianapolis concert
- Former Penthouse magazine model sues Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses, saying he raped her in 1989
- Christian school that objected to transgender athlete sues Vermont after it’s banned from competing
- New York City Mayor Eric Adams accused of 1993 sexual assault in legal filing
- Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
- Notre Dame honored transfer QB Sam Hartman, and his former coach at Wake Forest hated it
- NFL Week 12 picks: Which teams will feast on Thanksgiving?
- She's that girl: New Beyoncé reporter to go live on Instagram, answer reader questions
- Giuliani’s lawyers after $148M defamation judgment seek to withdraw from his case
- The Best Thanksgiving TV Episodes and Movies to Watch As You Nurse Your Food Hangover
Ranking
- Black and Latino families displaced from Palm Springs neighborhood reach $27M tentative settlement
- Tens of thousands of protesters demanding a restoration of Nepal’s monarchy clash with police
- First Lady Rosalynn Carter's legacy on mental health boils down to one word: Hope
- 'It's personal': Chris Paul ejected by old nemesis Scott Foster in return to Phoenix
- Judge sets date for 9/11 defendants to enter pleas, deepening battle over court’s independence
- OxyContin maker’s settlement plan divides victims of opioid crisis. Now it’s up to the Supreme Court
- One of the last tickets to 1934 Masters Tournament to be auctioned, asking six figures
- Washoe County school superintendent’s resignation prompts search for 5th new boss in 10 years
Recommendation
-
Travis Kelce's and Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Houses Burglarized
-
10 days after India tunnel collapse, medical camera offers glimpse of 41 men trapped inside awaiting rescue
-
Walmart shooter who injured 4 in Ohio may have been motivated by racial extremism, FBI says
-
Baz Luhrmann says Nicole Kidman has come around on 'Australia,' their 2008 box-office bomb
-
NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Allison dies at 86
-
Dutch election winner Geert Wilders is an anti-Islam firebrand known as the Dutch Donald Trump
-
Michigan woman won $1 million after her favorite lottery game was sold out
-
Main Taiwan opposition party announces vice presidential candidate as hopes for alliance fracture